


The Wrong Hit

by Groot_the_tree



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Caring Sebastian, Dammit Jim, Depends on the view, Healthy Relationships, Hurt, Hurt Jim Moriarty, Hurt Sebastian, Jim Has Issues, Jim makes mistakes, Lack of Communication, M/M, Poor Sebastian, Richard Brook was REAL, Unhealthy Relationships, severin and richard try to help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22162201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Groot_the_tree/pseuds/Groot_the_tree
Summary: "If only he would have asked for names. Or paid closer attention to the case description. Anything at all could have saved him.He hadn’t though.Seb had."Based on a prompt on tumblr.
Relationships: Richard Brook/Severin Moran, Sebastian Moran/Jim Moriarty
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write and this happened. Will attempt to continue it and see what happens. Hoping for a happy ending.

To say their relationship had a rocky base would be an understatement. Neither man really knew what they were doing there or how to navigate a relationship. All the experience they had was a worse one than the last with no sign of improvement any time soon.

What they did both know, however, was that they both had a lot in common with just enough differences to attract them to each other. That there was something between them both.   
That James Moriarty owned Sebastian Moran. 

They had their ups and downs like all other relationships, though they measured them differently. Of course, they did. Their ups were what others would consider downs and their downs varied between others up to the worst of the worst.

What else would be expected of the king of the criminal world and his right-hand sniper? 

They fought. Frequently. Angrily. It was something they both needed, craved like they craved each other's skin against their own.

That’s why the breaking point was so surprising to them both.

“Stop! Just stop. You can’t just say sorry and pretend that nothing happened!” Sebastian yells at Jim. The apology hadn’t been expected, nothing that Moriarty does was expected but saying sorry was new and shocking, even for him.

“Please just give me one more chance! I can make this right, I promise!” Jim tries, the words were so unlike him, yet they flowed flawlessly from his mouth and, like that, he felt he was right back there, begging to be given another chance before the worst came to worst and he was left a bloody body, unconscious, on the floor. 

It always ended that way back then, before all of this. He just braces himself for the feeling of a fist connecting with the side of his face. 

Not that Sebastian would ever dare do such thing to the other man and, had emotions been lower, Jim would have known and Sebastian would know where Jim was mentally. That wasn’t the case though.

“You’re promises don’t mean shit to me.” Sebastian spat angrily at his boss, almost not recognizing the words coming from him at not caring that they did as he storms out of the house, not even turning back, wanting to be anywhere other than in the room with his boss, his lover, his partner in every sense of the word. 

Jim watches him leave, feeling his heartbreaking. Not that he would ever admit to such a ludicrous statement, it made no sense to him, but at the same time he could feel it, that was the first time he had noticed or felt how much like a physical pain it was.

And all he could think about was inflicting that pain onto someone else. 

—-

The day had started off normally enough. They both got out of bed, Jim at six a.m., as always and went to work. Sebastian wandered in about mid-day.

Both got enough of their work done to go home at a regular time that evening. 

But that was when it was all going so very wrong. 

Jim didn’t know he had done it. It was his fault and he had felt it the moment he had realized what had happened. 

If only he would have asked for names. Or paid closer attention to the case description. Anything at all could have saved him.

He hadn’t though.

Seb had.

It was minutes before they were to leave, getting packed up when one of the files, already signed off on that was laying on Jim’s desk caught his eye.

He picks it up and begins flipping through it as Jim watches, perplexed as to why the other man seemed to suddenly be so interested in his paperwork. Any time he has mentioned it to Sebastian before the man has yawned and started pretending to snore loudly to make him shut up about the ‘boring’ part. 

The voice soon spoke up to answer his question though. It wasn’t yelling, no. It was something much, much worse. 

“What the hell is this, James?” Sebastian asked.

“Paperwork, a file, a case?” Jim asks, sounding bored and annoyed at being asked such a question but he was certainly listening because of the tone the question was asked in.

“Did you even see who the hit was for?” He asks, “Did you!?” Then the screaming had begun.

“I don’t know. He seemed like an arse, I authorized the hit. That’s what I do. You know this. Now spit it out, what’s the problem?” Jim’s voice started off calm enough but by the end, it had raised. He was annoyed and not following at all if Sebastian could just tell him what he was talking about. 

The file was flipped around and Sebastian pointed to the name on the file. The man he had authorized the hit on.

Severin Moran.

Oh.


	2. Chapter 2

This was it. Jim didn’t know how he was going to get Sebastian back but he knew he had to figure something out. He couldn’t do this, or anything really, without his Tiger. 

Work was almost impossible without his top sniper. Sleeping was impossible, not having the other man there to protect him from the nightmares means that he was woken up by them every time he managed to fall asleep. Which wasn’t often on its own. In the last week, his life had lost it’s meaning if you believed in such cliches. 

Moriarty didn’t. 

Jim did. 

He spends hours sitting around, trying to think up something to try and win Sebastian back but his sleep-deprived mind isn’t having it.

The thought enters his mind to do research, how to make up after a fight. The problem was they weren’t a normal couple. There was no information out there about how to make up with your partner when you’ve signed his brother’s life away. He’s checked. 

What he did mind was movies, dinners, flowers, things that would make both of the men gag when they saw other couples doing them. Jim knew better than to try any of them on Sebastian, no matter how much he missed said man. 

It took him days but he was able to unmask an idea. It was stupid, idiotic, risky, but something he knew Sebastian would love. 

—

This was officially the stupidest thing he had ever known Moriarty to do. Honestly, how does anyone manage to get himself in so much trouble with a rival that he and his brother gets kidnapped and has to call in his ex-sniper who has just quit and said snipers brother? 

Sebastian doesn’t know and, as much as he hates to admit it, he’s worried about whether or not Jim is okay too much to contemplate how for too long. 

They sneak through the old wear-house which was swarmed with people, all carrying guns, no doubt an attempt to keep his boss from escaping and keeping everyone else out if someone tried to rescue him.

With precision, the two ex-military men manage to navigate the halls as quietly as possible, Severin being better at this part than Sebastian who’s specialty was working from a distance. The sneaking around wasn’t what he was used to but for his idiotic boss, he would manage. 

If only for the chance to kill him once he’s safe. 

Nearing the door where they know Moriarty is being kept, they look to each other. 

The door is heavily guarded, of course, it is. There are people everywhere, some with concealed weapons, some carrying around large guns. Both men have an eye for spotting such things thanks to years of practice.

Not for the first time, Sebastian feels bad for bringing his little brother into this situation. 

They each take a breath, nodding to each other. There’s only one way the Moran men operate, loud and straight forward, running in headfirst with no planning. To say this is the reason they have been hurt as much as they have been would be a correct assumption. 

Severin stays back in his hiding spot, knowing people would expect Sebastian to show up looking for his boss, it wasn’t a secret how protective the two men were of each other. 

So when Sebastian steps out, a gun in both hands, shooting into the ceiling, no one was surprised. People begin walking towards him, guns raised, not afraid to shoot. Nor was Sebastian. 

He walks down the hall a little, everyone moving with him, keeping him in their sights. The only problem was a couple had stayed where they were, guarding the door, meaning his brother couldn’t do his part of the plan.

With a deep, bracing breath, Sebastian lowers the guns and shoots, taking out two of the men and, with those shots, the battle is on, people shooting everywhere. Sebastian is sure most of them aren’t aiming.

—

The fire blazing, Severin is quick and fast, moving into the room where Jim and Richard, his brother, were being held, pulling out a knife and slicing through the ropes. 

The look of shock and pain on Jim’s face when he realizes it’s not Sebastian coming to his aid was one that Severin will always remember but never mentions to anyone out of fear. He knows what the man is capable of. 

Once both men are freed Severin whispers to them to get out, moving down the hall with them, knowing that most of the guards would be stationed where the battle was happening. One against fifty was far from fair but they both knew what they were getting themselves into and made the other promise to continue on until both the other brothers were safe. 

So as soon as the two were out the door Severin returns, guns at the ready prepared to take out as many as he needed to either save or avenge his brother. He’d know once the job was done.  
Before he even got a chance to pull the trigger though, someone grabbed him from behind, hand over his mouth and one over his nose, effectively stopping any sound from escaping him, no matter how hard he tried, even if he knew it would be stupid to try screaming out now anyway. 

The person behind him spun him around so he could see who he was. His idiot brother, blood covering his shirt and obviously in pain but standing and alive. 

With a nod to the other, they both begin their journey out of the building together, planning to catch up with the men they had just saved. 

Severin had questions as to how it was done but now, he decided, wasn’t the time to ask. Adrenaline was high and his brother had at least one new bullet wound in his arm. There were more important things for now.

Not that Seb wouldn’t make sure everyone has heard his heroic story at least ten times over the next two weeks anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know where I'm going with this.
> 
> Comments and kudos are niceee.


	3. Chapter 3

Sitting in the back of a cab, Jim sends a text out to Severin, telling him and his brother to meet Jim and his own at the office as soon as they were safe as well.

There was a moment when he had considered sending it to Sebastian but there were too many unknowns there. Was the man still angry at him? Had he blocked his number as Jim had suspected? Was he even still alive after that? He had to know but to go to the source and asked was too terrifying, even for James Moriarty. 

We’ll be there -Sev

Jim gives a small smile at the text, then to his brother. The thought crosses his mind again that perhaps they had gone too far but at least both the other men were okay, the plural was staring back at him comfortingly when his eyes return to the phone screen.

Once the Moriarty brothers arrive at the headquarters where Jim works, they make their way up together in the lift, neither quite brave enough to speak yet. Jim was wondering just how okay Sebastian really was and Richard was wondering why his brother decided to risk both their lives and the men they love. 

Of course, he knew the man was having issues with his lover but that didn’t call for this strong of a plan. Then again nothing called for the dramatic reactions Jim always had when something, anything, got in the way of how he wanted things to go.

At this point, he knew better than to even bring it up with his brother. That was an argument that he didn’t want to get himself into and a rant he didn’t want to hear. 

So the trip was spent in silence, up to the top floor of the building and down into Jim’s definitely over-sized office. 

Jim goes behind his desk and starts trying to work in the hopes of passing time until the other two brothers arrived, not that it was working out for him, as his mind wouldn’t focus on anything.

His brother, seemingly noticing how nervous he was, sighs and sits in the chair on the other side of his desk. Perhaps he had been wrong earlier when he had said he wasn’t going to ask. 

“So, do you want to tell me what all this was about?” He asks, “Or will I be finding out when the rest of the family does?” His tone was sarcastic. While Richard was far from being Jim, he wasn’t quite the shy, nervous, terrified boy everyone thought he was, especially in comparison to Jim. He’d been thought the same hell his brother hand been, at least in their younger years and he had the scars, literal and metaphorical, to show for it as well. 

“I told you, Richie. The fight I had with Seb.” Jim responds.

“Yeah, but you didn’t exactly tell me what the fight was over, now did you?” Richard counters back at him.

With a sigh, Jim starts to explain, terrified that this was hoe he was going to lose his brother as well as his partner. One mistake.

“I was doing paperwork without looking too closely at the personal information. I never do really. I wasn’t thinking at all. I’ve learned my lesson now.” 

Richard gives him a confused look as Jim goes on.

“Sebastian came into my office as we were getting ready to leave. He saw the file on my desk and started looking through it which was weird. He never cares about paperwork and goes on and on about how boring it was. But I thought maybe it was a case he was interested in or something. It turned out the name on the file was Sev’s.” He takes a deep breath, eyes that were on the desk in front of him rise slowly to meet his brothers. He regrets it immediately, seeing the look of anger there. 

If there was one thing scarier than an angry, pissed off James Moriarty, it was an angry, pissed off Richard Brook. 

“You what?” He screams, pushing himself out of the chair, looking down at his older brother. “How stupid can you be James? I mean really? You never look, you never see what is right in front of you, do you?” There was no pause for an answer, Richard was far from interested in anything that his brother might have to say right now. “For a genius, you can be such an idiot. I mean you’re going on and on about how you see things others don’t but you don’t see what is right in front of you, the things any human being could see are the things you just skip right over.”

The yelling finally slows as he stops to catch his breath, shaking his head and looking at his brother, “I really don’t know how Sebastian can put up with your constant ignorance. I’m not surprised he finally grew a pair and walked out.” And with that, he spun around and walked out of the room, not looking back.

It wasn’t as though he was going far though as Sebastian and Severin were coming here and Richard was worried about them, wanting to know if they were alright or not.

And a small part of him was curious to see what would go down between the three of them. Possible all four, he’d wait and see.


	4. Chapter 4

It was only a few minutes later than the Moran brothers arrived at the office space and made their way up the stairs to meet with the other two brothers as instructed. 

As soon as Richard’s eyes fell on them he was up, out of the seat he had found and in Severin’s arms, holding him close and kissing his cheek, all over, just happy to see them both there and alive. 

“You made it, you’re here.” He whispers into the taller man’s shoulder. 

Severin chuckles lightly, “Yeah, Richie, I’m here, no more worrying. You do that too much.” He scolds lightly. 

Richard laughs and pulls back a little, his eyes full of tears but smiling through them. “We’re going to kill my brother.” He states as his eyes finally meet Seb’s.

The man wasn’t looking too good, the bullet wound in his arm more noticeable the more blood that soaks through his shirt, another shirt tied around the injured shoulder to attempt to slow or stop the blood loss. He was visibly paler as well and seemed to be struggling to even stand.

“Come on, come on.” He says, pulling back from Sev and going over to Sebastian, wrapping his arm around him, to make sure he didn’t fall, ignoring the grumbling of how he ‘didn’t need help’, as the three of them made their way into the office. Severin holding the door open as the other two men make it through together. 

Jim looks up, hearing the door open, ready to conduct this business formally. Until he saw Sebastian at least. He looks of preparedness and empty emotions were quickly replaced with concern, worry and regret as he slowly makes his way over to the man he loves, Richard helping him sit on the sofa that was in the corner of the room.

“Sebby.” Jim whispers, getting down on his knees in front of him, ignoring the glares the other two men were sending him.

“Someone go find the medical kit or the doctor.” He demands, the business facade he tends to wear slipping into place, a vast contrast to the one he was just wearing as he looked the injured man over. 

“I think I’d rather have the doctor.” Sebastian states, knowing there was always one around, it wasn’t exactly as though they could just walk into the hospital at any time, thanks to most of them being wanted criminals if they were stupid enough to get caught.

Hearing Sebastian’s wishes, Jim nods softly, sitting back a little to give him more space, letting him have what he wants but that doesn’t mean it hurts him any less. The thought alone, that he would rather have a stranger instead of Jim hurts but why wouldn’t he want that? Jim had already betrayed his trust once. 

Severin heads out the door, Richard right behind him to leave the other two men alone, not wanting to be there for whatever might happen. They did have a lot of talking and discussing to be doing. That or awkward silence if nothing else.

There was a moment between the men where nothing is said, both not knowing where to start, what should be said. Who was even going to start? 

“I’m sorry.” Jim finally whispers, he had been looking anywhere but at the man until he finally forces himself to look. “I know it’s not much and you weren’t accepting my apologies and you don’t care about them but I am. You know how hard that can be for me to say and it takes a lot for me to be able to say them. Seb, this is one time that I can say it and mean it. You know I love you and your brother. You both mean a lot to both me and Richard. Your happiness and theirs is something I would never risk. I was stupid and rushing though without noticing anything. I don’t expect you to just forgive me for that but, if it’s not too much to ask, I would like a chance to make it up to you.” 

He was looking at the ground again as he finished up, taking a deep breath, ready for anything Seb may be read to do or say to him. He didn’t know what to expect, that was something that he both loved and hated about the other man. Right now it was certainly more hate than love. 

With a sigh, Sebastian looks to Jim, “I hate you, James.” He states, “But that only makes it harder because I love you. I do, I hate that I love you but I do. This hasn’t changed that, as much as I wish it would have, it hasn’t.” He takes another breath, considering, before nodding, “Okay. I’ll give you a chance.” At the hopeful look, Jim was giving him, he holds up a finger, “But. But, this is your last. Do something this idiotic again, Moriarty, and that will be it for us.” He warns. 

Jim nods, as though he was terrified of losing Sebastian. What he didn’t know was that the other man’s words were empty. As much as Sebastian wished them to be true, they weren’t. He’d keep coming back as often as Jim needed him, asked for him to return. 

But the man needed to know his lesson and this was the only why Sebastian knew to teach it, threaten to take away Jim’s favorite toy and watch him try. 

“What we do need to talk about, along with this is your stupid actions today. What was that Jim and don’t say you weren’t planning it. I know better, I’m not the idiot you seem to think everyone but you to be. What was the plan and why did you let them take you? You put not only yourself in danger but Richard, Severin and myself there as well.” He states, wondering not for the first time when he became the adult of the group. Someone had to have the job and he seemed to be the only one capable of carrying it out. 

Jim sighs, having known this was coming and just hoping it wasn’t. Yet, here it is and his wishing was for nothing. He looks at Sebastian, almost hesitantly as he responds, “I was trying to give you a job. Let you know how much I still need you, you’re the only one I let myself need, you and Richie anyway. You could save me when no-one else could Bastian. I needed you to see that and this was the only way I could think.” He explains, taking a deep breath. 

“I thought some time out on the field would help you see that, remember who we are, what we’re doing. The tiger and the spider. I was idiotic to think you wouldn’t get hurt. I’ve been missing a lot lately and I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m…” He just barely stops himself from apologizing to Sebastian again but the words from before ring out so he manages to catch himself, “I love you and will try to do better. I will do better with this last chance. I’ll make sure it lasts until our deaths.” 

It was the best he could do, words weren’t his thing but he would do his best for Sebastian they had known each other and been through so much together that Jim wasn’t going to stop himself from saying how he really felt. Sebastian was the only one that got to hear thought mushy thoughts and words, Richard next in line for them, though there was still a large difference between this and what he’d tell his twin. 

Speaking of his twin, it was then that he returned with Severin right behind him and the doctor behind him. 

“Have you two kissed and made up yet?” Severin can’t help but ask, teasing his brother and the other man.

Jim rolls his eyes as Sebastian smirks, “There was no kissing involved but I think we’re going to be okay.” 

He shifts around on the sofa so the doctor can work on his shoulder, Sebastian using the other three men as a distraction from the pain, along with a couple of pills the doctor hand given him.

For the four of them, things were far from perfect but they were going to be okay. Their own, twisted, messed up version of okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always feel like my writing is rushed when I take on larger projects, like shouldn't this be more like 10k instead of 4k?   
> Comments and kudos are always nice, constructive criticism is accepted.

**Author's Note:**

> So the prompt for this was:   
> “Stop! Just stop. You can’t just say sorry and pretend that nothing happened!”  
> “Please just give me one more chance! I can make this right, I promise!”  
> “You’re promises don’t mean shit to me.”
> 
> Kudos and comments make everything better!


End file.
